One Step Closer: the beginning
by Justbychance
Summary: This is a love story between Moose and Camille, two actors, that slowly found themselves falling in love during the filming of Step Up 3D. We'll see how this innocent first love began, faltered, and eventually ignited into something much more. Will start with a Teen rating, with def. warnings before each future mature chapter.
1. chapter one

_**I never expected to write anything more than a one shot for this couple, but after reading your incredibly sweet reviews I've **__**changed my mind. Let me just say that I love that you all wanted a more innocent approach to their romance, I actually felt a little bad that I made it so 'ahem' well you know. I'm just used to writing very adult, dark, romance, drama type fics.**_

_**Saying all that I've **__**thought about it and I would love to start over with how it all began between Adam and Alyson, making it very sweet, innocent and entirely romantic. **_

_**As far as I know I can't write them with the names Adam and Alyson, so I'll just write them as Moose and Camille, but you know I'm writing as them, as if they are these real people acting in these movies.**_

_**So this story is for you, Alexandra, luakinaga, Piaaa, Nana232, Lisa, and all guests and lurkers… so appreciate your reviews :)**_

_**I hope this is more of what you wanted, again, remember this is not my usual stuff so feel free to criticize, or tell me what you'd like me to write about them, I'll do my best to work it in. I'll start it off very sweet and innocent, working my way up to when they're in the movie ALL IN, together.**_

_**So it will definitely be teen for a while, but it will get to a mature level, just so you're warned. I'll give you a heads up in the beginning of the updates, but it wont be for several chpts. ;)**_

_**Once again I do not own anything to do with the Step Up series, or the characters of Moose and Camille.**_

_**Chapter One**_

**New York City**

**2010**

**Filming location for Step Up 3D**

Taking her clothes out of her suitcase in her hotel room, Camille looked over her set schedule one more time before picking up the script that she had memorized backwards and forwards.

Sighing heavily she whispered some of the lines out loud, trying different enunciation's with her dialogue, working hard to figure out the best way for her character to come across as authentic as possible.

With all her experience of working practically her entire life, being a dancer in music video's, all her voice over work, her many projects with Disney and her big screen roles in Cheaper by the Dozen, not to mention many other personal projects in the works, one would think that this movie would be no big deal for her, but for some reason it was.

She remembered acting in the first Step Up movie, being so young everyone was extremely nice, and supportive. It turned out to be a great learning experience that really had a big influence in solidifying her passion for dancing and acting as a career.

But things were different now, she was different, and to make matters worse, none of the previous cast members from the first movie, to her knowledge, were returning, fearing it would be hard to break into what must be a very close bond from the last movie, she worried about feeling left out.

Collapsing on the bed she felt ridiculous, and seriously unprofessional, chalking it up to lack of sleep, and her mother's recent cancer diagnosis, which she was promised was something completely curable with the proper treatment, otherwise she never would've left home or agreed to do the movie.

It was all pretty overwhelming, between her mom, her career, and landing in a big new city alone, Camille fell into bed with nothing but a sleepless night ahead of her.

Her talent for acting and dancing was born out of hard work and dedication, and above all a love of performing, getting lost in the moments of when she was dancing, being able to shut the world out and just let go, but Camille was no fool, she knew that most kids had an expiration date on their back.

Especially the talent that passed through the Disney machine that had a reputation of using talented kids for all they're worth, only to spit them out when they'd become too old for their target audience.

Luckily for Camille she had never become attached to one particular show, there was a time when she was very disappointed that she was constantly being overlooked for the opportunity to star in her own series, but now she was grateful for that, at least she didn't have to worry about being typecast.

Gazing out at the stunning view of the city lights, Camille knew that this may possibly be an incredible opportunity for her to launch her career in a more mature direction, with a much wider audience, she just wished she felt confident, like when she was a child, when it was just about dancing, and getting lost in the moment.

**First day of shooting**

Feeling like a foreigner in another country among the chaos of people scurrying around the lot the next morning, Camille searched out the make-up and hair trailer having five minutes to spare.

Already having been fitted for wardrobe with her NYC sweatshirt and jeans, she shyly opened the door to the trailer to find it empty except for someone sitting with his back to her dancing in his chair to music blaring from beats oblivious to the world around him.

Looking back towards the door she considered leaving to wait outside feeling weird just walking in knowing this person was totally unaware of her presence.

Biting her bottom lip she decided that she was being ridiculous, she was a professional, this was where she was supposed to be, and she wasn't going to be late because of some awkward teenage insecurity.

Sighing she set her bag down and stared into the mirror that was lined with large bright bulbs, basically highlighting every tiny imperfection.

Trying hard to ignore the boy in his own little world next to her that still had his back to her, she pulled her long hair out of her ponytail and flicked it over her shoulders wondering how they were going to style it for the scene.

Really though she was just praying that the girl would get there and put some freaking make-up on her so she wouldn't look like she was up all night tossing and turning.

It was then that the curly head boy turned a bit and she realized it was her co-star sitting next to her the entire time.

She had seen the second movie of course but she had known him for years well before that.

Being close to the same age they had run into each other at auditions and other functions from time to time, he was always polite and nice to her but he was basically a stranger.

Feeling even more uncomfortable now that she knew who he was and he was still unaware of her sitting there, she decided to tap him on the shoulder just to get his attention, and properly introduce herself.

Mouthing the words to some song with his eyes closed he jumped nearly five feet from his chair losing his balance and landing flat on his butt on the ground taking most of the make-up and hair equipment with him.

Gazing up at her in total shock, covered in white powder, tangled in a mess of curling iron, and flat iron wires, he held his hand over his heart trying to catch his breath.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry!"

Camille rushed to his side in a flash, completely horrified that she had caused the star of the movie to nearly kill himself before filming had even began.

Expecting him to be furious with her she immediately began to brush the face powder off his clothes, and his dark curls practically dying inside of embarrassment thinking he would absolutely hate her now, which would suck considering they were to be playing best friends.

"I never should've bothered you, I can't believe this happened, is there anything - "

Camille's long rambling speech was cut off by his hysterical laughter when she helped him up and he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Actually I think it's an improvement."

Sliding his beats down to hang from his neck, he gazed at her reflection in a cloud of white face powder, with every beauty product cord tangled around his body, he grinned wide with that goofy sweet smile showing his adorable canines practically stopping her heart leaving her basically forgetting how to breathe.

"Oh my god, look what I've done to you, and this place… this place is a mess, the make-up girl is going to kill me!"

His big brown eyes widened at her distress, needing instantly to make her feel better, "No, no, no… no worries, Cindy's a good friend of mine, I'll explain that it was all me, not that she'll find it that hard to believe. I'm a serious klutz, it's all good, I promise."

Kneeling down on the ground to gather all the products that had fallen, Camille shook her head. "That's so nice, but I can't let you take the blame for this."

Joining her he found a bottle of Windex and started wiping down the floor when the make-up technician, Cindy, walked in the door.

Looking up at the same time Moose and Camille bumped heads causing them to fall backwards dredging even more powder up into the air.

Cindy, who stood at six feet three inches tall, looking as though she could play linebacker for the Giants, scowled in shock as her eyes bulged in anger, her booming voice rattling the walls of the tiny trailer.

"Who the hell is responsible for trashing my beautiful workshop!"

Crawling quickly behind Moose, Camille smiled wearily pointing to her guilty looking fellow actor.

Jumping up, Moose spun around on his toes to reach for a bouquet of flowers that were in a vase on the counter, only to fall in front of her on his knees in a suave, fluid dance move gazing up at her furious grimace with big brown puppy dog eyes.

"Forgive me Cin, I was practicing some moves and got carried away, you know I can't control myself once I hear a good beat. I promise to make it up to you."

Within seconds Cindy's face lightened up giving Moose a big hug. "I have to say I did miss you little man, don't worry about the trailer, I'll get some interns in here to clean it up. Lets just get you two ready for your first scene before the director freaks."

Sneakily peaking across the room at Camille, Moose winked at her causing butterflies to run wild in her stomach.

Biting down again on her bottom lip she wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

The day had flown by barely giving them another chance to really talk after the trailer incident, as they were whisked through their first two scenes, plus wardrobe changes, and some script revisions.

It wasn't until after their dinner break, when the choreographer sent Moose to tell Camille that their dance rehearsal for their big number 'I won't dance' had been cancelled for that night.

In actuality, it was an intern that was supposed to deliver the news, also by phone, but with a little convincing, and a lot of charm, Moose not only managed to get her cell, but her room number, so he could personally pass on the information himself.

He told himself it was just so he could get closer to her, get to know her better, for the sake of the part, so it would seem authentic that they were best friends, but a part of him knew that just wasn't true.

After running into a few cast members in the hall of the hotel Moose made his way to the tenth floor dancing the entire way as his music blared in his ears.

A maid that had been delivering fresh towels to a nearby room, came out to find Moose spinning a mop around in his arms, as if it were another dancer, as he ran up the side of the wall and flipped over landing right in front of her astonished face.

Laughing he shrugged his shoulders as he handed her back her mop uttering out a breathy_ 'sorry'_ leaving her speechless.

Running around her hotel room, Camille looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand swearing over the fact that she was late, still dressed only in her pink sports bra and black spandex pants.

Searching for her hair tie, her long dark tresses flew around all messy and damp from her recent shower.

Hearing a soft knock at the door Camille yelled back from the bathroom "One minute!"

Bouncing around outside her door Moose dragged his beats down around his neck thinking he heard her say "Come in."

Putting his ear to the door to be sure, he called out her name softly before slowly turning the knob and hesitantly walking in. "Cam ?"

"Moose?"

Walking out of the bathroom they ran into each other once again nearly knocking each other to the ground, but this time Moose reached out for her grabbing her by the arms to keep her from falling.

Left speechless staring at her, he felt as if all the air had left his lungs.

She was beautiful, her long dark hair all wet and wavy teasing the sun kissed skin on her shoulders, her amazingly toned body full of curves that wasn't visible with the over sized baggy clothes she usually wore.

She looked more like a woman than the tom boy he was used to being with all day.

Shocked to see him in her room she looked over at the door confused.

"Moose? What are you doing here? I was getting dressed, didn't you hear me?"

Completely blindsided by her beauty in every way Moose nervously began to stammer pointing to the door, lost, forgetting momentarily the art of the English language.

"Oh, Um, yeah… see about that. I knocked, I swear, I thought you said come in, so I thought it was - "

Totally unaware of what was going through his mind, Camille shook her head, pointing to his beats, smiling sweetly at him.

"Moose you need to turn those things down once in a while, I said, one minute, but it's fine, here, sit down while I finish getting ready."

Turning she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror completely forgetting what she was wearing, shrugging she realized that this is really what all the dancers wore as she threw an oversized ripped white shirt that hung past her shoulder over her bra.

Looking over her shoulder catching Moose looking stiff and rattled, and unusually quiet, sitting on the love seat across the room, Camille made her way over to him.

Grabbing her duffle bag she nodded towards the door. "Aren't we running late for rehearsal?"

Raising his eyebrows Moose gazed up at her forgetting for a second why and how he even ended up in her room.

"Huh?"

Camille laughed finding it undeniably hard to resist how adorable he was, especially when he looked at her that way, like a puppy dog so innocent and sweet, and completely clueless.

Suddenly it hit him why he was there in the first place, as he tried hard not to be distracted by the beautiful girl standing in front of him.

"Oh yeah… rehearsal, yeah yeah, um, it's been cancelled, something about a busted pipe, anyway I just came to tell you. Look I'm sorry for the confusion, I swear I thought you said to come in, I guess I do keep my beats pretty loud."

Shrugging she sat down next to him, dropping her bag on the floor. "No worries, I was dragging anyway, I'm beat from my flight, and it seems like I can't find anything, guess I didn't unpack very well."

Pulling her legs up, sitting Indian style next to him, she flipped her hair over her bare shoulder and gave him a coy smile.

"I guess I owe you for taking the blame this morning with Ms. Cindy, I really am sorry about that."

Fiddling with a loose string on his shirt, he lifted his big dark eyes up to her through a mass of black curls, suddenly feeling as if the world had turned upside down.

No one had ever made him feel this way before, nervous, but totally at ease at the same time, spellbound by the sweetness of her smile, taken completely by her seemingly effortless beauty, and fiercely protective, as if he'd known her his entire life and would never let anyone hurt her.

Dazed, he struggled to remember what she had just said, blown over by feelings that he had never experienced before.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Cindy's all talk, she's really a big softy, I worked with her on the last movie, she was great with all of us lunatics."

Sighing, Camille rested her arms on the ledge overlooking the thousands of lights along the New York skyline, suddenly looking very sad.

Leaning her chin on her wrist she tilted her head letting the red, green, and white lights blur before her eyes feeling very homesick.

Watching every move she made, unable to look away, he lowered his voice to almost a whisper.

"Hey, what's going on in that head of yours, why so sad?"

Edging the side of her pale pink lips upwards, in a smile that flipped his stomach, she shook her head slightly, "It's stupid, its not even worth mentioning."

Holding his arms in the air, imitating her, cutely mimicking her melancholy state, with his chin resting like hers on his wrist, he rolled his big brown eyes sweetly towards her.

"Tell me, before my arms cramp up and I have to tell everyone that you wrecked my performance at the park tomorrow. I mean it, I'm not moving till you spill it, so get talking."

Laughing out loud Camille pushed him causing him to fall backwards, leaving a victorious grin along his full lips.

Reaching for the same thread on his shirt that he had been playing with, she wrapped it unconsciously around her finger, hoping she wasn't going to come off sounding like some immature child.

"I don't know, I guess I just feel a little strange on set. I'm out here alone, I don't really know anyone. I mean you're all like this big family. You know each other from the last movie, you all seem really close. Don't get me wrong, I think that's so cool, I mean - "

"Say no more, I got your back."

Cutting her off, he affectionately rubbed his thumb along her knee showing her that he fully understood.

Giggling at the toothy grin he flashed her, she crossed her arms in front of her, tilting her head to the side sarcastically. "Oh really, and what does that mean?"

Flipping on the TV, he leaned back against the cushions making the point that he was getting comfortable.

"Well, me and you? See, we're _supposed_ to be best friends, it's practically written in stone. So that's what I am from now on."

Furrowing her eyebrows she cautiously laughed unsure of what he meant.

Flicking the channels with the remote he motioned towards the bathroom.

"Well, go on, get ready, there's a party down the hall… everyone's going to be there. Go, put some clothes on, I can't have my best bud walking around half dressed, besides, if anyone gets grabby with you I'd have to get violent and Cam, I'm a dancer, not a fighter."

Before she knew it, Camille, dressed for a night out, was being ushered around to all the cast members, dancing up a storm, forgetting home, and truly happy she took a chance and trusted her '_best friend'_, even though she had this strange feeling that possibly, this was, that _he _was so much more.


	2. Chapter 2

_**thanks so much for the reviews, please forgive any mistakes, I'm home sick today so I'm not completely clear headed. ;)**_

After several weeks of rehearsal Camille was feeling much more confident and at ease with the cast and crew thanks to the subtle unnoticed efforts of her new best friend Moose.

He was always behind the scenes unseen by her, making sure that her life was made just a little bit easier.

It wasn't anything grandiose, but tiny gestures that always made her feel more at home or more comfortable.

Her favorite flavored coffee was alway on hand in the morning, even though unbeknownst to her, he was the one who trecked four blocks down the block to the only cafe that made it.

He always planned for someone to be free after rehearsal to get her home if it was late, if he couldn't get away of course.

And with a little extra charm he managed to get the chef at the hotel to make her favorite banana pancakes for dinner, something that her mom always made for her at home.

She was definitely getting into the vibe on set, her personality and big heart was winning everyone over, and they were definitely becoming what he said they already were, but in real life, best friends.

They hung out all the time, sometimes with the other dancers, but mostly just together sightseeing, or hanging in her hotel room watching movies.

It was perfectly perfect, in every perfect way but one, Moose felt more for her than friendship, thinking back he felt it right away, it was like a lightning bolt hitting him the moment the dust cleared from their first real encounter in years.

He hadn't seen her since she was around ten or eleven, he didn't even recognize her at first, but as soon as he laid eyes on her he felt a feeling he had definitely never felt before.

It never occurred to him that it would turn into anything more than just intense, mind blowing attraction, but the more time they spent together, the closer they became it became very apparent that their real life was closely following the scripted one, at least for him it was.

One good thing was that their chemistry was undeniable on screen, it was almost impossible not to feel as if they were really falling in love.

It was obvious when the director called cut that the crew would be hanging on their every word or giving them a goofy smile as if they were really watching something unfold for real.

They became inseparable, which was awesome, but increasing difficult at the same time to hide the closeness that was growing between them, especially from themselves.

Moose would often be tempted to pull her in for a kiss when they were rehearsing or laying next to each other watching a movie in her room.

He'd often space out imagining what it would be like to hold her in his arms, to say all the things he'd been keeping in all this time.

But as outgoing and charismatic as Moose was on the outside, inside he was incredibly shy when it came to matters of the heart.

Sure he had girlfriends before, but honestly it was always initiated by the girl, and usually brought on by who he was on camera, and not for himself.

Camille was really the only female that really knew the real him, who seemed to love everything about him, he trusted her like no other, and if truth be known there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

It was all going great until one particular week.

It was the week that they were rehearsing for their big romantic dance number "I won't dance."

Every day they would rehearse straight into the night trying to get every move perfect, this was especially hard due to the fact that the dance scene was being filmed in one continuous shot, so if there was one mistake, one misstep, they'd have to start completely over from the top.

Camille had been taking dance classes since she could walk so choreography was not an issue for her, she was more than used to learning specific dance steps that has to be synchronized with others making the timing perfect.

Moose however was a natural talent, his body just moved to the music, moved as if he was taken over by something or someone else, he was incredible to watch, there really was no one like him, but he enjoyed that feeling, he felt more comfortable in that realm of freestyle dance.

So needless to say it wasn't an easy week, Camille was fine, her down to earth, laid back personality gave her endless amounts of patience, she never seemed to mind going over each part of the dance again and again until it was perfect, with him it seemed as if she just enjoyed being with him, it never looked as if she was working, especially when they danced together, she seemed blissfully happy.

Time was always an issue working on this movie, scenes moved fast, especially when they were dancing, they were always expected to be on point, that's why it was more than a little shocking when Camille showed up on set late the day they were to shoot their dance scene.

It was only fifteen minutes late, but for someone like Camille it might as well been hours.

Walking in she apologized softly, visibly appearing very upset, her eyes were red and slightly swollen as if she'd been crying.

After a few takes that had gone very badly the director called for a break, "Camille please head to the makeup trailer for some touch ups, everyone take fifteen."

Watching her disappear into the trailer Moose grew very concerned.

He waited a good five minutes before sticking his head inside the door needing to know if there was anything he could do.

Peering inside he saw Cindy with her arm around Camille stroking her hair as if consoling her as she softly cried.

Taking a hesitant step toward them he whispered as he approached her. "Hey Cam, is everything ok?"

Getting a stern look from Cindy, Moose shrugged innocently, "Of course she's not alright, the girl is crying, can't you see that?"

Lifting her chin Cindy shook her head, "I'm not going to be able to do anything here until she calms down, Moose try talking to her, I need to get some ice for those eyes."

Pulling up a chair next to her, he eased her hands down away from her face. "Cam, we're alone, tell me what's going on, please, I can't stand to see you cry."

After a few seconds she pulled a flyer out of her bag. "You mean to tell me you haven't seen these, they're everywhere."

Confused Moose grabbed it completely stunned. It was a copy of a small article from a dance magazine he had never ever heard of, titled "A unbelievable, unrealistic romance between homely Camille and Moose, the boy who's become the breakout star of the hit movie Step Up series."

Covering her face she leaned forward feeling ridiculous, "It was taped to my hotel door, and on every window, pole, mailbox from there to the studio."

Crumbling it up he immediately threw it in the garbage when suddenly it occurred to him who could've done such a thing.

"Cam, please listen to me, there's a girl, a fan that became a little too obsessed with me, she broke into my house, she'd search out my family's garbage for personal things, she's crazy. This article isn't real, she made it up, I've never even heard of this magazine, and there's no way in hell anyone could even think that about you. I know this is all her, if you give me a chance later tonight after shooting I'll prove it to you."

Sighing she looked up at him feeling completely stupid, really unsure why she even took this so hard. "You must think I'm an idiot, even if it was real, I shouldn't be acting this way. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Lifting her chin he wiped away her tears with his sleeve before pressing her forehead to his, "Listen to me, you are beautiful and incredibly talented and we are going to go out there and prove to them that this dance was more than they could've even imagined it to be. You know why?"

Shaking her head she couldn't help but smile at his sweet goofy smile. "No, why Moose."

Bringing his lips to her ear, he whispered softly to her, causing chills to rush throughout her entire body. "Because it's me and you, always Cam."

Before she could really take in what he had just said Cindy had walked back in with a bag of ice and he was gone. "She's all your's."

By the end of the day their special dance scene was shot perfectly, they moved effortlessly together as if they were in their own little world, only a few mistakes were because of them, most were due to lighting and the other cast members involved in the scene.

Still it was well after midnight when it was all over, Camille was changing back into her jeans and sweatshirt thinking that she was all alone when she came out of her trailer to find Moose standing there looking out the window across the lit up city while they were basically in the dark.

"Moose? What are you still doing here? I thought everyone had gone home."

Reaching out for her hand he pulled her close taking a small video camera out of his bag.

"I did leave for a while but I came back because I made a promise. There's something I want you to see. I had a friend of mine do a little favor for me while we were here all day."

Turning the camera on he wrapped his arm around her bringing her close so she could see.

It was a video of the girl Moose had been talking about earlier, she was being arrested for posting those fake articles on mailboxes.

"Apparently its a federal offense or something, at any rate, I have a friend, who knows a cop, and well I don't think she'll be harassing you anymore."

Closing the camera, Camille smiled almost shyly, blown away that he would go through that much trouble to prove this to her.

"I don't know what to say, that was very sweet, you didn't have to do that for me."

Stepping closer to her he nodded seriously leaving his infamous smile behind.

In almost raspy whisper he lifted his big brown eyes to her needing her to know just how much she meant to him.

"Yes, I did."

Moved by his actions, and the way he looked at her, so vulnerable, so very clear that it was coming from his heart, she reached for his sweatshirt pulling him in close, with the intentions of giving him a friendly peck on the cheek.

It all happened so fast, and in slow motion at the same time, without planning it, or thinking it out, he turned slightly causing her kiss to land softly on his lips.

In his life he had never done anything so bold, not when it came to girls that was, not that there was any other girl that he would risk so much for.

His hands began to shake as they gently moved up to hold her arms, everything went silent except for the sound of her breathing, like a whisper, slow, unsteady against his mouth.

He thought for sure she would step away, punch him in the arm, thinking it was a joke, just expecting anything except for what really happened.

For a split second her eyes widened with surprise, then they slowly closed as she parted her lips clenching his shirt tight in her hand, holding him there under the brilliant lights of the city.

Breaking away for a second she hesitated as his heart stilled unsure of how she felt, or what this all meant.

Then it happened, she moved closer once again to deepen a kiss that she didn't see coming.

It was innocent and sweet, completely unexpected, totally explosive, and perfectly, perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks so much for the reviews for this story, I so appreciate it, they will be older the next time they meet up, so things will begin to become more adult, just giving you a heads up. :) _**

_chapter three_

The kiss they shared on that incredible night was something that they both knew had to stay secret, at least for the remainder of filming.

The actors were a close knit group, gossip like this would spread like wildfire, for him it wouldn't have mattered, but for Camilla her career was everything to her.

She had worked since she was child, building up an acting and dancing career, she needed for people in the industry to know that she took her work seriously, he just knew it was something she wouldn't feel comfortable with until they had finished making the movie.

While all of this was true there was one thing he couldn't deny, he was falling for her, or maybe he was already there.

She was all he thought about, and as the last day of filming grew closer, so did the gnawing, sick feeling in his stomach that he wouldn't be seeing her everyday, or if ever.

Sparks on both sides were tangible whenever they were near each other, whether anything physical had occurred between them was up for debate for the other actors and crew, but it was obvious they both shared a chemistry that was far from boundaries of friendship.

But the timing was all wrong, during the following months the shoot struggled to stay on schedule, which meant they were all working grueling hours that left no time for them socially.

They were both exhausted, especially Moose who had the added pressure of getting down the complicated choreography for the big dance finale.

The fact also remained that Camille and Moose were, above all, consummate professionals who put their work above everything.

It was only when, at a last minute script change, that the lines of reality began to blur into the characters life, when they both read that Moose was to kiss her in the last scene of the movie.

Maybe it was brought on by how well their dance number turned out, or maybe even the writers and director could see the clear attraction between them and wanted to capitalize on a moment that would definitely come across on screen, in the end it was there, one new page of rewrites that would put their feelings front and center for everyone to see.

With problems such as running over budget, equipment failure, and challenging choreography that changed like the weather, the hours on set became longer and longer leaving little time for anything else,

Although this was true, her affection for him had never wavered, she had suddenly began to see him in an entirely different light, unlike any of the boys she had dated before, he was special, unlike anyone she had ever met before. One smile from him and the world turned on its side. She was falling, for the first time experiencing feelings that she never imagined. To Camille she thought no one knew, but when she was near him it was impossible to hide.

Moose had attempted everything he could to get away from the set so that they could spend time together, but their schedules hardly ever permitted it, so he did the next best thing, he'd watch her on set perform, whenever he could.

All this was made easier because of a friendship he had had with the editor of Step Up, that had developed during the last movie.

Late into the night this editor was busy going over dallies of the previous scenes giving Moose the perfect opportunity to be close to her without compromising their jobs.

Eddie, was not new to the business and was kind enough to take Moose under his wing, teaching him the technical side of the industry, which Moose was eager to learn. At the same time he became someone he could trust, giving him advice both personally and professionally.

It was out of character for the reserved engineer to befriend an actor, but Eddie noticed how young and sometimes lost Moose seemed while shooting the second movie and wanted to help by showing him how it all worked, cutting the film together, moving the story along. He also became someone he could go to for advice on life, which really helped while being so far away from his family.

At any rate they had become friends, which is why the night before the last day of filming, which included the 'kissing' scene Eddie had a piece of advice for his young friend.

"What do you think I should do Eddie? I really like this girl, but tomorrow is our last scene together, and we live so far from each other, plus she's still under contract with Disney, she told me she had three projects in a row coming up, in fact she's leaving for California the day after the wrap party to start filming a musical. Even if she agreed to go out with me, how would we even see each other?"

Smiling down at Moose as the images of them performing together to the 'I won't dance' number, Eddie sighed remembering what it was like to have those feelings for the first time.

"Do you see what I see?"

Shrugging Moose slumped down into his chair pulling the hood from his sweatshirt over his head past his eyes in frustration.

"I know... she's beautiful."

Laughing to himself Eddie nodded in agreement. "Well yes, but that's not what I meant. Moose, son, you and her, dancing together, the way you look at each other, it's magic."

Lifting the hoodie up Moose's big brown eyes became wider as his innocent heart thumped hard inside his chest.

"That's how I feel when I'm with her, but she's leaving soon, there's nothing I can do."

Shutting the computer off, Eddie turned his chair to face the long, sad, face now looking back at him.

"Moose, you're both so young, just because the timing is not right now doesn't mean this won't happen between you two. If I were you, I'd stay in touch with her, not obsessively, no girl wants that, but enough to keep the lines of communication open between you two. You never know, you could end up working together again, or running into each other somewhere. At any rate, she's definitely worth the effort. If I were you, I'd make the most of the time you still have, if anyone can leave a lasting impression it's you Moose. Give her a memory to hold onto, something that will make it impossible for her to forget you.

**cMc**

Pacing back and forth in one of the storage rooms that was used for props, Moose wrung his hands together nervously thinking of the after party that was occurring that night.

In just a few minutes he would be shooting the last scene of the movie with her and it was making him more than anxious knowing that time was running out for them.

The director was clear, the passionate kiss was reserved for the main characters, Luke and Natalie, while they were supposed to share a sweet, romantic, innocent embrace.

It was clear that Camille was handling it better than him, showing no signs of nerves as she stood on her mark mouthing her lines, practicing, as she waited for the director to call action.

Moose however was fidgety, stumbling over his lines, unable to concentrate, as he rehearsed, not the scene, but what he would say to her at the party. He was well aware that after tonight he wouldn't be seeing her for a long time, he needed to make sure he stayed in her mind.

Finally the time had come, the other actors ran through their kissing scene only twice before nailing it, it was up to Moose and Camille to finish up with their romantic ending and the entire movie would be a wrap.

Eighteen takes later Moose wanted to crawl in hole and die after screwing up again and again.

With not only an entire crew looking on, many of the cast members were close to them in the scene making it all that much more uncomfortable.

Moose was determined to get through this, trying so hard not to let anyone down.

But it was no use, every time he moved closer to her all he could think about was that kiss, their kiss, that amazing kiss that was burned into his memory forever, the one he had fallen asleep to every night.

It was truly a disaster of embarrassing heights, as each time he went to lean into her something went wrong.

The first take he moved too fast after realizing he had come in late on his cue and slipped causing him to bump into her, it only got worse from there causing everyone to become irritated and impatient, everyone that was except for her.

Each time she gave him a sweet, reassuring smile that spoke volumes letting him know that she felt for him, it was as if in her eyes, he really could do no harm.

But then it happened, during take nineteen, Moose was able to time everything perfectly, staying on his mark to romantically cradle her face and lean in close to give her the exact romantic, sweet kiss that the director was looking for before bringing her close and holding her in the nook of his neck for probably longer than he should have, but at this point no one was going to say a word.

"Cut! That's a wrap everyone! Thank you for your talent and professionalism during this very special movie, don't forget to come and join us at the hotel tonight in the grand ball-room for the wrap party!"

Between all the celebratory hugs Moose got completely lost in the crowd as they all ran towards each other yelling and jumping up and down to the music playing in the background.

By the time he finally saw her again she was waving to him over a huge crowd of people as someone from wardrobe and her agent was pulling her into one of the trailers on set.

A warm smile exchanged between them as he held her gaze for as long as possible.

Between talking back and forth trying to pacify both people that were vying for her attention, Camille pulled in her bottom lip as he grinned widely at her knowing now exactly what he would say to her at the party later that night.

But there was one thing he just couldn't wait for.

Impatiently pushing past everyone to get to her just as they were pulling her into the trailer, Moose grabbed her by the arm gently leading her into a private corner where few could see them.

"Moose? What are you doing? Oh my god, you are so crazy I - "

The sound of her voice was, as ever, music to him, flowing straight to his heart, but there was no time, as his courage began to drain and a small crowd began to gather to see what the commotion was about.

Pinning her intensely against the trailer he raised the back of his hand to her flushed cheek smoothing over her skin before lacing his fingers within her chocolate silky hair effectively lifting her chin upwards.

Letting his eyes drift shut, he pressed his forehead to hers whispering in a raspy breathless tone that sent a shiver down into her so hard and fast she trembled against him.

"I've fallen for you... you're all I think about Cam... I just really wanted you to know that."

Without giving her a chance to speak, he took her mouth with a passionate force, leaving her briefly shocked before melting into him.

Wrapped up in their own little world blissfully happy, he blocked everything and everyone out as he parted her lips to caress her tongue with his leaving them both in an almost dizzying state.

Sinking into him she raised her hands up along his chest and around his back until they were flushed against each other.

It only took one cast member to spot them before a thundering noise was heard throughout the sound stage.

Just like the scene they had just played out, the cast began whooping and hollering their names and other suggestive actions for them to enjoy, but neither of them could hear anything but the sound of each other's heart beating in sync with each other.

It was only when he felt her being pulled away from him that he snapped out of his dreamy haze.

She was being carefully ushered into the trailer while he was being pulled in the other direction by his friends who were starting the party early.

Yelling over the crowd that had gathered Moose was trying to tell her that he needed to talk to her at the wrap party, that he had something really important to ask her, but she could barely hear him.

Appearing in the window of the trailer she mouthed a string of words that he couldn't understand before she disappeared from sight completely.

**cMc**

After showering and repeating the speech he was going to give her about being together no matter how far apart they ended up, and so much more, Moose pushed open the double doors of the ball room.

Looking everywhere for her he was yanked aside by the actor who played Luke in the movie. "Hey Moose we've been waiting for you, were gonna have a dance off - "

Unable to wait Moose cut him off grabbing him by the shoulders. "Rick, have you seen Camille?"

Watching his face drop, Rick pulled him aside away from the crowd. "Moose didn't you hear? Camille caught a flight right after we wrapped, she had to be on set across the country for some movie."

Leaning back against the wall, as if the wind had been knocked out of him, he thought about what she was trying to say to him in the window from her trailer. Now thinking back he could see her mouth the words that at the time made no sense.

**_'Goodbye Moose, I'm sorry.'_**

Visibly upset Moose skipped the party deciding to walk back to his hotel instead only to hear a plane above him, flying high over the lights of the city.

Looking up he knew she couldn't be on that plane, but it didn't make it hurt any less, it had only been a few hours since he had seen her, but he felt the loss of her immediately.

Too bad he had no way of knowing that fate wasn't done with them yet.

Soon Moose and Camille would cross paths again…

**TBC**

**_luakinaga, thank you so much for you review, don't worry I didn't forget the scene you wanted at the wrap party for step up all In, I just have a few more chpts to get through before that happens. :)_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews, so kind, it so help to keeping me writing.**

**Song by, The Force Md's, Tender Love... you all may be too young to know this one, but it's worth checking out, I danced to this one many times, awesome song... a classic.**

**chapter four**

The next year time went by like a blur for Camille.

Between classes of all kinds - school, dance, voice, acting, and her vigilant non stop dedication to going on any auditions pertaining to all her various talents, she barely had time to sleep, never mind having any type of social life.

Bouncing back and forth from her home in LA to New York City, for work and other projects she was as ever hyper focused on her career while keeping up with her studies.

Life for Moose however went basically back to being the same as before his work on the previous two step up movies.

He studied hard in school, spent time with his close knit family and friends and of course danced whenever and wherever possible with his crew ACDC, and others that he had befriended through the years and from his acting gigs.

He basically hung out and had fun being a normal teenager, only now he was highly recognizable as the adorable dancer that everyone seemed to love from his exposure from the movies.

That wasn't the only difference from his life before, because now he was completely infatuated with a certain girl that he could just not forget no matter how hard he tried.

With the popularity of the movies Moose now had his pick of girls, a prize that any teenage boy would dream of attaining, but for him there was just one.

It was impossible for him to shake the bond that grew during those months of shooting the movie.

As hard as it is to believe, Moose was indeed outgoing and confident when the music was on and he was able to let go and just dance, but as far as being around crowds where he was forced to talk or sharing his feelings on an intimate level, he was very shy.

It was easy for him to put on the persona of Moose, he could just 'be' that funny, sweet character who used his talent to deflect from being the real person he was inside.

Besides his family and a few close guy friends, Camille was the only person he could be himself around, he told her things that he couldn't tell anyone, and he trusted her like no other.

When they were shooting he found himself wanting to be around her all the time, he knew he never felt this way about a girl before, but he had no idea just how much she had wrapped herself around his heart.

He missed her, in more ways than he could imagine.

He missed their friendship, how happy he felt when he was with her like they were the only two people in the world, he also missed other things.

He found himself dreaming of her, holding her close, kissing her slowly, intensely so much so that he'd wake with his heart pounding, all other girls were just background noise to him now.

At first he tried calling her but with the scope of work she was undertaking he usually never got passed her voicemail.

Camille always wanted to talk to him, but with her jam packed schedule it was nearly impossible.

She always returned his messages but their conversations were always whittled down to a quick five minutes because of time, making matters worse she was usually with a crowd of people running from one appointment to another leaving it hard for them to really talk.

He kept thinking of the last words he said to her on the day they wrapped, he wondered now if he just made a fool of himself.

_**"I'm falling for you… "**_

Those words haunted him, he just kept picturing her standing there staring at him as if she were a deer caught in headlights, maybe she was just a girl who was too nice to let a guy down hard.

In fact he now remembered what she did say as she looked out her window in her trailer, she mouthed 'I'm sorry', at first he thought she was apologizing for not having enough time for him, but now he was seriously considering the fact that it was her way of telling him that she didn't feel the same.

Either way he couldn't let her go, so he went on with his life and he stopped calling her, but he could see how an occasional text could hurt, just to make sure they kept in contact with each other.

He'd send her funny little messages to make her laugh, and crazy video's of him and his crew dancing in public places, playing pranks on unsuspecting fans or people just walking down the street, anything that would keep any connection with them going.

But it was never enough for him, he missed her horribly, it was clear his feelings for her were here to stay.

Then came the day that they were going to shoot a promotional video for the DVD release date.

It was mostly the dancers from the movie that came to help out with the video, they had a few people there to help with sound, set design, and hair and makeup, and that's when he met 'her'.

She was the complete opposite of Camille, she was a blonde blue eyed surfer who freelanced as a photographer.

She was there to take still promotional photo's for video stores and billboards, she also turned down the guys advances instantly, making it obvious she wasn't just a fan obsessed with the movies.

Seeing that it made it easier for him to talk to her, so when she politely walked up to him and asked if he could teach her some of his dance moves, it happened so often he thought nothing of it. Her name was Shelley, she was the typical laid back California surfer girl looking for nothing more than to have a good time and hang out basically drifting from one job to another to fund her airfare so she could go where the waves were.

But as laid back with life she was she had no problem making her intentions known to Moose as he innocently was led to a quiet space to soon discover that lessons wasn't what she was looking for.

It wasn't long before she had him up against the wall with her hands beneath his shirt smiling up at him with her big blue eyes that told him all she wanted him to know.

She was available, and she wanted him, now.

Staring down at her shocked he became suddenly very nervous.

He didn't know this girl at all, this was far from the innocent friendship that he had shared with Cam.

Laughing uncomfortably he gently held her hands in place preventing them from going any further as he struggled for something to say.

Confused the pretty blonde rose up on her toes and moved close until she was just barely a breath from his mouth.

"Is there a problem? Do you have a girlfriend."

Her voice was surgery sweet, slow and drawn out, again the total opposite of Camille's fast talking type A personality.

He thought about it as Shelley slipped her hands through his dark curls twisting them around her fingers as a sly smile edged along her pink lips.

His silence was all she needed, taking that as a no to her question.

Before he knew it she was kissing him, and he wasn't pushing her away.

In the back of his mind he knew he wasn't doing anything wrong, Camille never officially answered him when he told her how he felt, not only that she barely had time to even text him anymore.

All the same it didn't seem to matter to him, there was nothing wrong with Shelley, in fact she was hot and cool as hell at the same time, not all like the snobby girls he was used to running into that just wanted to talk to him because he knew the lead actors or the older dancers.

She was also an amazing kisser, and she was beautiful, besides he was young and unattached and there was no reason why this shouldn't be happening.

No reason at all, no reason except for the fact that all he could think of was Cam, and even if they weren't exclusive or even considered dating it didn't seem to matter.

Letting her down easy as only someone as sweet as he could, Moose explained that he had feelings for someone else and as pretty and cool as she was he just, couldn't.

Shelley just smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "For some reason you just made me like you more."

Taking his phone from his back pocket she placed her name and number in his contacts before handing it back to him.

"Listen if these 'feelings' should ever change call me, I'll give you… surfing… lessons."

It was blatantly obvious what she meant by 'lessons' as she gave him one last quick kiss before brushing her lips to his ear.

"I really like you Moose, I hope I get to see you again real soon."

Frustrated and confused Moose rushed home after a long day of shooting the video and ran into his room.

After jumping into the shower he got into bed still damp from the cold water he used to rid his mind of thoughts of Camille but it didn't work, nothing seem to.

Just then he got a call from director Jon Chu.

Moose had become very close with him over the past few movies, he was one of the few people that he confided in about his feeling for Camille.

Jon had heard through the grapevine that a bunch of actors were stuck at LAX after getting bumped off an overbooked flight, and she was one of them.

"Listen Moose, I know it's been impossible with her schedule for you two to hook up but this is your chance, go there, surprise her, I'm sure she'll love it, and who knows, maybe something will come out of it."

After thanking him a million times Moose immediately started rummaging through his drawers looking for the perfect song, the one he remembered her talking about one late night after rehearsals, it was old, but she loved it, and in that moment he knew he loved her. For some reason this time it wasn't scary, it was right, and he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers.

After a short call to his good friend Rob, someone he had been close to for years, he was sure he had come up with something that would sweep her off her feet.

**cMc**

After getting everything ready, changing, and the one hour long trek to the airport, Moose ran through the huge building searching for her gate.

A group of his friends were busy outside blocking off a small area with their cars in an empty parking lot so they could set everything up for him.

Knowing he was short on time he found himself jumping over chairs, rushing by people accidentally bumping into them until he arrived at her gate which was more crowded than he expected.

But then threw a small group of kids closely talking flipping over pages that appeared to be a script he saw her.

She was lit up, so happy smiling like he'd never seen her before, she was dressed in skinny jeans with a red hoodie with her hair long and wavy all around her face, he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

Looking up at the time on the wall he quickly snapped out of it and yelled out her name.

**"CAM!"**

It took a few seconds but suddenly she heard him and frantically searched through the crowd until she found him.

**"Moose!"**

Waving her over he felt as if his heart would explode.

After saying a few words to the people she was with she ran passed everyone giving the same apologies he did until she reached him.

Practically throwing herself into his arms they hugged attracting tons of attention from everyone around them.

Taking her hand he quickly led her out of the building to the surprise he had waiting for her outside.

Out of breath they reached the small private circle blocked off from prying eyes thanks to his friends who made themselves scarce.

Around the circle were tiny white candles, and coming from the cars was a song that he grew up listening to from his older brother.

Taking her hand he led her out to the middle of the circle and spun her around until she was face to face securely within his arms.

For the first time he didn't feel nervous or awkward, he was sure of his feelings for her and by the look she gave him when she first saw him there was no doubt she felt the same.

Laughing completely stunned by what was happening Cam raised her arms around his neck and smiled.

"I don't understand, how did you know about my flight? How did you make all this happen so fast?"

Smiling seeing how happy he had made her he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Oh my god, is this tender love, by the Force MD's? I love this old song! How did you know that?"

Giving one of his classic toothy sweet grins he shrugged his shoulders, "You told me, just as you were falling asleep during our Monday movie night."

Her eyes widened shaking her head back and forth in disbelief, "You remembered that?"

Lowering his voice brushed his mouth just barely along her lips, "Of course I did, you're my chameleon, I know you better than anyone, don't you know that?"

Rising up on her toes she could really see him, still shocked that all this was happening she whispered softly sending him reeling.

"You're crazy, you know that right?"

Everything grew quiet except for the soft music playing in the background.

_**Here I lay all alone, tossin', turning**_

_**Longing for some of your tender Love**_

_**I'm waiting for the right moment to come**_

_**So I can thank you for all the tender love you've given to me**_

"If crazy means I get to be close to you, then I'll be completely insane, I don't mind."

**_Tender love, love so tender_**

**_Pulling me close to you, baby, I surrender_**

Looking around she couldn't believe that he had done all of this for her, she was at a loss for words, and so obviously so caught up in seeing him again.

Sighing he moved in closer brushing his lips against her cheek whispering how beautiful she was, and how much he had missed her.

_**Candles they light the dark**_

_**Now I see how lovely the feelings are**_

_**All the tender love you've given to me**_

Pulling back slowly he felt her shiver in his arms, everything was perfect, it was so worth all the heartache of missing her, all the months spent alone wondering if she felt the same, because now he knew.

_**I want you more and more, can't resist you**_

_**Ooh and then I feel your touch, tender love**_

_**Loving me straight from the heart, hold me nearer**_

_**Please let me be a part of the tender love you're giving to me**_

"Cam, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too Moose, I don't think I realized just how much until just now."

Slowly he moved in, he had to kiss her again, this moment was magic and he wasn't going to waste one minute.

Parting her lips she hesitated for a moment before giving in.

The kiss began slowly, but soon deepened as he moaned pulling her closer gliding his hands beneath her red sweatshirt needing so much to feel her skin.

_**Tender love, love so tender**_

_**Holding me close to you, baby, I surrender**_

_**Ooh yeah, surrender baby**_

She became breathless in his arms, melting into him, gasping softly as she felt his body respond to her.

She felt dizzy, lost, dancing, as he kissed her, touched her, she wanted more, she wanted this moment to never end.

_**Tender love**_

_**Please let me be a part**_

_**Tender love**_

Cradling her face with his hands he pulled away gasping for air.

"Cam, I know you're busy, and I know it's not going to be easy but I want to be - "

**"Cam? Camille? Are you out here? Babe, our flight is boarding, we have to get going."**

Hidden by the cars Moose stood speechless as her face fell, her eyes looking away from him down at her feet.

"Moose I had no idea you were going to be here, that this was going to happen, you totally caught me off guard."

**"Camille? We gotta go!"**

Sighing she raised her voice yelling over the music that was beginning to fade. "I'll be right there Jason, I'm just saying goodbye to a friend."

Closing his eyes Moose let his hands fall from her as he stepped back.

_"Jason_… so I take it he's your boyfriend."

Shaking her head she seemed rattled, confused.

"We've only been dating a few months, we met on set - "

Holding up his hand Moose turned to walk away, "Please, no details, besides I think I heard this one before."

"No, please, let me explain!" she tried to stop him but it was too late.

Turning away from her Moose took off passed the cars and running right into the chest of a six foot, dark haired guy with a buzz cut that looked as if he was in the marine's and could kick Moose's ass six ways till Sunday.

As if aware of everything Moose's friends were by his side but he took off with no idea where he was going.

Off in the distance he could hear her calling for him but he was too humiliated to stop, all he knew is that he would never ever put himself in that position again.

Once he was home he pulled out his phone and stared at Shelley's number, tomorrow he would call her, tomorrow everything would change.


End file.
